U.S. Patent Application Publication U.S. 2010/0016452 discloses an agent and a method for dispersing spilled oil, particularly on a body of water. The compound is a viscous dispersant liquid comprising a mixture of surfactants and a viscosifying agent that may be stored, shipped, mixed, and delivered on site using standard equipment and methods. The compound is released as a cohesive, persistent, visible, gel-like or paste-like liquid that floats on water. At least one method includes delivering the viscous dispersant liquid onto an oil spill in a body of water utilizing a jet airplane flying at over about 100 feet and spraying the liquid in large, pea-sized droplets. U.S. Patent Application Publication US 2010/0016452 is herein incorporated by reference in its entirety.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,517,726 discloses a method and apparatus for depositing a chemical over a body of water. It discloses collecting and concentrating a floating contaminant between two floating booms pulled by one or more surface vessels. The booms define an aperture intermediate of their endpoints, and the towing of the boom results in the flow of concentrated contaminant through the aperture. One or more nozzles proximate the aperture deposit a chemical, such as a liquid dispersant, on the contaminant and water flowing through the aperture. It also discloses a mixing apparatus placed at aft of the aperture for inducing mixing of the deposited chemical and the floating contaminant. U.S. Pat. No. 6,517,726 is herein incorporated by reference in its entirety.
U.S. Patent Application Publication U.S. 2002/0005439 discloses an apparatus and method for applying undiluted chemical dispersant to a waterborne oil spill using a gentle uniform rain producing nozzle consisting of a rotating element having teeth to break up the fluid stream in to gentle uniform rain-sized droplets having a minimum diameter for uniform dispersal over a wide area. The novelty of this invention is that it is the only neat spray dispersant apparatus and method specifying dispersal through a moving element configured nozzle having an adjustable flow rate. The apparatus is skid mounted and portable. It comprises a pump to suction dispersant from tanks or other receptacles where it is stored and pressurize the dispersant, a pressure manifold that allows the dispersant to pressurize and a monitor or hose attachment hydraulically connecting the pressure manifold to one or more configured nozzles that distribute the chemical dispersant upon the oil spill. The method comprises pressurizing dispersant and spraying it through a configured nozzle onto the oil spill. U.S. Patent Application Publication U.S. 2002/0005439 is herein incorporated by reference in its entirety.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,261,463 discloses an effective and non-toxic oil spill dispersant combines a predominately oil-soluble surfactant (eg., polyethylene glycol mono-oleate) with a predominately water-soluble surfactant (eg., cocoamide) and a co-solvent for coupling a mixture of the predominately oil-soluble surfactant and the oil spill, with the predominately water-soluble surfactant. Water is included in the combination to help advance the interaction between the predominately oil-soluble surfactant and the predominately water-soluble surfactant as well as the co-solvent. The water component also helps reduce the viscosity of the dispersant to allow it to be pumped under pressure. U.S. Pat. No. 6,261,463 is herein incorporated by reference in its entirety.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,422,011 discloses a method for recuperating crude oil from the body of a spill. First, the body of the spill is sprayed at low pressure then the same operation is done at a relatively higher pressure of at least 100 p.s.i. After the dispersant is allowed to penetrate the body of the spill for several hours, physical agitation of the body of the spill is induced the use of air compressors operating in the range between 500 and 700 psi causing the crude oil to disperse and come to the surface. The crude oil is then extracted from the spill through the use of skimmers and vacuum suction means and subsequently processed. U.S. Pat. No. 5,422,011 is herein incorporated by reference in its entirety.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,978,459 discloses a method for dispersing an oil spill on sea water, which method comprises applying to the oil spill surface an effective amount of: (i) a blend of one or more hydrophilic and one or more lipophilic surfactants so balanced that they will form microemulsions with the sea water and the oil to be dispersed; (ii) a solvent which is miscible with the oil to be dispersed and in which the blend of surfactants is substantially soluble; and (iii) from 0 to about 10 weight percent water, wherein the blend of surfactants is such that it lowers the interfacial tension between the oil to be dispersed and the sea water to less than about 250 mdynes/cm when the blend is used at a treat rate of less than about 1 to 100 by weight, based on the oil to be dispersed, wherein the solvent is a hydrocarbon solvent selected from the group consisting of No. 2 diesel fuel oil, kerosene and white oil. U.S. Pat. No. 4,978,459 is herein incorporated by reference in its entirety.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,126,547 discloses that oil slicks on surface waters are dispersed by the exposure of the surface oils to ultrasonic energy to effectuate an homogenization of the oil and water to permit absorption of the oil within the total volume of water. U.S. Pat. No. 4,126,547 is herein incorporated by reference in its entirety.